


Tiny cracks from a big world

by SarynotSary



Category: Jurassic Park - All Media Types, Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: AU, Clawen, Dead Parents, F/M, Owen is a police officer, just rachel, nice coffee shop customers, no karen, orphan sisters, reminds you of Lilo and Nani, short sweet buildup, small town AU, sweet caring owen, that should be enough for you to want to read this, who is 12, younger Clawen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-06-30 07:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarynotSary/pseuds/SarynotSary
Summary: After the sudden death of their parents, Claire Dearing is trying to provide for her little sister as much as she can, working at the local coffee shop. One day, she gets a call from the police because her little sister was caught shoplifting, and Officer Grady feels a strong need to protect the girls... Clawen AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had promised myself I would try and write a multi chapter fit in the summer, and here I am! I got some inspiration from the Lilo and Stitch sisters situation, but I thought it could be nice to apply to a Clawen AU :) I hope you like it!
> 
> PS I have no idea how US law works and I'm too lazy to do actual deep research so just pretend the whole police stuff is realistic

_Oh, where's the book that shows you how to be a big girl now?_  
_Can I fall apart one more time before I work it out?_

“Again, Mrs Parker, this one has white chocolate filling and this one has milk chocolate filling. You can tell from the icing matching their colors” A very patient Claire explained for the third time, to one of the loveliest elderly ladies in town, the difference between two variations of the brioche she wanted to get.

Claire didn’t mind. She liked her job, the interaction with people, especially the usual customers and the kind ladies like Mrs Parker. They always made her day, even when she had early mornings or when her sister made her angry. Sure, working at a coffee shop wasn’t the best paying job in the world, but it was enough to keep her and her little sister afloat, and luckily Simon, the owner, was a kind man and family friend.

“But, isn’t milk chocolate white, dear?”

Claire sighed. “No, Mrs Parker, it’s made with milk but it’s brown. It’s… the normal kind.” She slightly giggled.

The lady pondered her choice a little bit longer. “And what is white chocolate made of?”

Claire opened her mouth to respond, but Simon’s voice stopped her, while Mrs Parker kept ranting on about her allergies to certain ingredients.

“Claire, phone call, they’re asking about you” Her boss extended his arm towards her from several feet away, landline phone in hand. Claire frowned, not used to receiving such calls while at work; her mind easily drifted to her sister, her eyes rolling at the thought of having to pick her up from school because she faked sickness in order to skip a test. That wouldn’t be new.

She quickly apologized to Mrs Parker, pushing both her palms forward as to tell her not to move and that she’d be back soon, then wiped them on her apron and walked to Simon to take the phone.

“Miss Dearing?” A stern male voice came from the other end. It didn’t belong to any teacher or janitor she had previously interacted with, which made her stomach churn.

“Yes?” Claire gripped the phone with both hands.

“Officer Grady, uh… local police. Before you freak out, everything’s fine. Just caught your little sister shoplifting Mr Dose’s shop. She’s at the station with me now, told me you’re her only legal guardian.”

Claire’s breath stopped. She felt a mix of panic, relief and anger. Of all the rebellious things Rachel had tried to do ever since their parents had died, this was the worst. Claire was NOT raising a criminal. “Uh, yes. Thank you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” With that, still gripping the phone with both hands, she slowly lowered it, barely registering the officer’s agreement and thanks.

“Claire, is something wrong? You’re unusually pale. Is it your sister?” Simon’s concerned voice reached her ears, before she snapped out of her trance.

She slowly handed him back the phone, wiping her now sweaty palms on her apron again. “Uh, yeah, she’s…” She trailed off, “I… need to go. To pick her up at the police station. If that’s fine.” She finally looked back at her boss, the slightest hint of shame in her eyes — but no sadness or worry, which had Simon exhale a sigh of relief, before frowning. “Of course, Claire. I, uh… I hope she’s not in trouble.”

Claire threw him a quick sad smile, hands already flying behind her back, untying her apron. “Thanks Simon. But I think she is. At least with me!” She half shouted, already on her way to grabbing her belongings before heading to her car.

“Take your time!” Simon half shouted back, mere seconds before the front door slammed behind her.

“So, Mr Masrani” came a voice from a few feet away. The Indian man looked to his right, finding Mrs Parker tapping on the pastries window.

“Does white chocolate have milk in it?”

* * *

“Miss Dearing?” The police receptionist guessed as soon as she saw a flash of red hair storming in, framing a face that showed all the intentions of killing a child.

“Yes.” She breathed out, chest heaving. “Where’s my sister?”

The receptionist didn’t bother asking for her ID, instead she showed a ghost of a sympathetic - slash - amused smile before she lazily made a ‘follow me’ gesture with her left hand, long fake neon nails catching Claire’s attention as the dark skinned woman slowly stood up from her chair.

After passing a few doors, the receptionist knocked on a large wooden one with a metal plate reading _GRADY_ in engraved Helvetica Bold. Claire recognized the name from the officer she spoke with on the phone. The older woman muttered a “Owen, here’s the sister” before she held the door open for her.

Claire cautiously stepped in, her jacket now draped on her joined hands in front of her: she had never been to a police station, and the environment was slightly intimidating. A tall, built man stood up from his chair, his large frame covering all the light coming in from the window behind him, which had the redhead finally look up.

Had this been any other situation, she would have felt tons of butterflies at the sight of the gorgeous man in front of her, and despite not being able to hide the burn in her cheeks, her mind was now focused on her sister. She needed to see her and know what happened.

“Miss Dearing, hi. Officer Grady.” He extended his hand for her to shake, and — _damn him and those dimples_ — he smiled at her.

With Claire at a temporary loss of words, Officer Grady — Owen, as she heard the receptionist call him — continued: “So, ah, your sister. Rachel, right?” He shuffled through some papers on his desk as they both took a seat. Claire nodded. “How— how did it happen?” She managed to clear her throat, her brain almost numb due to her incredulousness at her sister’s actions and her massive, uncalled for, instant attraction to this stranger.

Owen joined his hands on his desk, forearms resting on the papers, and his damn soft looking hair glowing gold in the sunlight. Claire blinked rapidly a couple of times. “We got a call from Mr Dose, saying he caught a girl trying to steal soda and chips from his shop. Other kids were just outside, quickly fleeing as soon as she got caught. Looks a lot like it was a dare or somethin’” Officer Grady explained with an easy smile on his face.

Claire exhaled, bringing her hands to her face, groaning, which made Owen want to reassure her.

“Hey, hey. It’s no big deal, Claire” the use of her first name made her look up, but she didn’t put much thought to it, as he must have looked through her records already, and working at the town’s coffee shop made her quite popular anyways. “We had to act on it ‘cause, you know, it’s still a small crime. But she’s clean, she’ll get away with a warning. It’s just normal kids stuff, I mean, I did it too at her age.” He tried to reassure her, earning a ghost of a smile. “Okay, come on, I’ll take you to her, she’s just behind that door. We’ll talk with her, alright?”

Claire nodded, getting up and following Officer Grady to what looked like a small interrogation room, quickly spotting Rachel sitting at the table, blond hair covering her face, and another officer silently standing in a corner. The handcuffs around her sister’s wrists made Claire feel a mix of emotions again.

As if sensing her thoughts, Owen quickly moved to take them off; “Yeah, these are mandatory by the law, sorry” he muttered, finally leaving enough space for both sisters to stare at each other, almost ready to go for each other’s throats.

They talked for ten minutes, Rachel confirming Grady’s theory. “It was Mark. He kept telling me I was a wimp, so I wanted to prove him wrong.” Rachel growled, and before Claire could scold her again, she added: “He’s still a loser, though! At least I tried, he didn’t even have the balls to try!”

“Rachel!” Claire slammed her palms on the table.

“Okay, Okay, we understood.” Owen put an end to it, “Kid, you’re in court in two days.” Then looked at Claire “You’ll get a call about the details.” He nodded at the other officer, who proceeded to open the door, letting the girls out, Claire’s hand finding Rachel’s shoulder quickly, her grip a _little_ too strong.

“Thank you, officer.” Claire smiled weakly.

“No problem.” Owen returned the gesture, his grin wider. “And, it’s Owen, please. I’m no bad cop” He winked at both girls, earning a glare from Rachel. He scratched the back of his neck. “I, ah… I’ll see you in court, then. Stay in school, kiddo.”

* * *

Claire took the rest of the day off, driving her sister home. She slammed the door of their apartment behind her, catching Rachel’s arm before she could flee to her room and lock herself in. 

“Do you UNDERSTAND what you just did??” She could finally unleash all her emotions on her. At her sister’s silence, Claire yanked her arm forcefully, and dragged her to sit on the couch. “Look at me! Why could you EVER possibly think about doing such thing?? That it would be okay?? Or cool??” Claire air quoted, her voice still raised.

Rachel brought her knees up, arms around them, looking down, defeated. Claire was thankful she was given the opportunity to just vent, as her sister usually talked back all the time, but she took it as a sign that she understood the seriousness and stupidity of her actions. So Claire just exhaled a ghost of a fake laugh. “I swear you don’t understand how many sacrifices I’m making to keep you happy, Rachel. And we both know you’re better than this. Could you help me out just a LITTLE BIT, for christ’s sake? You’re twelve, not five!!” She paused. “Answer me! Are you going to behave from now on? No more sneaking out at Julia’s place, no more jeopardizing my job, no more SHOPLIFTING while you should be at SCHOOL??” Claire was on the verge of tears. “I swear I don’t know why you started being a little _asshole_ after mom and dad died! I am trying, I swear, to keep you safe and healthy, and I will never be mom or dad, but Rachel, I need you to help me back with what you can!” Tears were streaming on Claire’s face by now. “Which involves keeping yourself out of situations like, I don’t know, committing a crime!!”

Rachel nodded, her heart clenching a bit hearing her sister’s exasperation. “Yes” she whispered, still looking down. “Can I go to my room now?”

Claire glared at her. “Is it all you’re going to say??”

Rachel looked up. “I’m sorry” She raised her eyebrows.

Claire ran her hand through her hair. “God, Rachel, you don’t even sound like you are!! Stop thinking everything you get has been a walk in the park for me!! Promise me you’ll never do it again!”

“I won’t, but only if you stop acting like you’re the only one suffering from mom and dad’s passing!!” Rachel raised her voice too. “I’m sick of you thinking you’re the one with the burden! I never ask you to buy me things, I go to Julia’s for dinner so you don’t have to pay for mine! I made ONE mistake today, and you act like I never did anything good for ten months!!” She yelled back, unfolding into a normal sitting position.

“You just don’t know how hard it is to keep us afloat, I wish you made that effort!! If you truly understood, you wouldn’t even TRY to please a school bully, you idiot! Something worse could happen to you and you’d be out of my custody! Off to a foster care system, forever, because nobody would want a twelve year old brat!!” Claire spat, as Rachel started walking to her room.

“And you’d be alone forever, because nobody would want a twenty-one year old failure of a sister!!” Rachel shouted back, her voice breaking too, before she slammed her bedroom door. Both sisters grabbed the first pillow they found and screamed their lungs into it.

* * *

As Owen had predicted, Rachel got released with a warning by the judge the following Thursday.

Officer Grady waited for the two sisters on the steps outside, smiling warmly at them as he saw them exiting the building. “Uh, Claire, can I talk to you for a second?” He asked.

Claire told her sister to go wait in the car, eyeing her sternly as to say ‘no funny business’, before she turned to Owen again.

“So I, ah… I now know about your situation, and I…”

Claire interrupted him with a raised hand. “Thank you, officer, but I don’t need anyone’s pity, really. I know it’s hard but we’ll make it just fine. It’s just that it’s still fresh and—”

It was Owen’s turn to interrupt her. “I know. I was there, Claire. That august night, I got the call. Seeing that car literally wrapped around that tree gave me nightmares for weeks. I thought of you guys’ life every day, wishing I could step in somehow.”

Claire was looking at him with tears in her eyes, his words bringing back the worst memory she’ll forever have, but her expression gave him the green light to continue. “I just wish I could help somehow. Anything. And before you say you don’t want charity, I can assure you it’s not like that. I can see you are strong and could totally pull through, but know that if you ever need anything… I’m here.” Owen kind of stuttered, hands in his pockets, but his eyes were sincere.

Claire smiled at him, smoothing the ends of her hair with one hand. “Thank you… Owen.” She looked down, deep in thought, as if she wanted to add more, but she refrained herself. “I appreciate it. I, uh… I have to go now.” _Stop it there…_ “To work.” _Why would he care? Don’t—_ “You know, at Simon’s.” _You idiot._

Owen grinned. “Oh, I heard you make wonderful donuts there!” He added with a wink, clearly trying to amuse her by living up to the cop stereotype.

Claire blushed, looking back at him. “Yeah… yeah we do.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I had a creativity spree (also spurred by summer boredom) today so here's chapter 2! I hope you like it so far!

Head down, pencil aimlessly doodling on her textbook, Rachel was trying to avoid her classmates’ glances. Of course, for the whole first week since she got “arrested”, she was the main and most interesting topic among all middle school.

She was half laughed at and half admired; not that she particularly cared about either point of view. She was just grateful that her closest friends didn’t judge her for it.

The blood coming out of Stickman Officer Grady’s head was looking just splatter-y enough on her history page, when her doodle suddenly disappeared from her sight. Rachel looked to her left, in the direction her book had just slid in, only to find her teacher’s eyes disappointingly shifting from her own to her little revenge-drawing.

“Interesting, Miss Dearing. I’m sure the French people would have liked your vengeful spirit in their Revolution. Too bad there were no… policemen…” the teacher studied the doodle attentively, “named… Officer Grady… To unleash it on, in 1789!” She dropped the textbook back on Rachel’s desk with an amused smile, making the whole class giggle.

Rachel didn’t say a word, only put her book back in her backpack when the bell rang a few seconds later, and with a hushed goodbye to her friends, she bolted to the exit, wanting to walk to her sister’s workplace, as usual, without too many kids going in her same direction and taunting her. She had a strong personality, their comments never affected her, she just hated to be at the center of attention.

The coffee shop’s door slamming, bell swinging wildly above it, startled everyone inside for a second; most customers went back to their talk, but a very angry Claire with a now coffee-stained apron, turned towards her sister, fire in her icy eyes. “Rachel!” She hissed, not wanting to cause a scene in the small shop. “Would you mind??” The younger Dearing just looked at her and shrugged, sitting at her usual spot, waiting for Simon to bring her food and ask her about the day. He was always very caring with the two orphan sisters, offering emotional support most of the time, even in the simplest things.

As predicted, Masrani popped out of the back of the shop, plate of bagels in one hand. “Here’s my favorite town bandit!” He grinned. His paternal attitude, though, made it sound much softer than the comments Rachel received at school. She knew he would never mean to tease her in a bad way

Simon set the plate on her table, sitting down in front of her, earning a mumbled happy thanks. “So, are your friends still bugging you with the whole stealing story, ladybug?” He took a bite of his own bagel and ruffled Rachel’s hair, making her smile.

“Not much. At least, not my friends. I know other kids still like to look at me weird, but I care so little that they’re already growing tired of it, cause they won’t get any reaction out of me.” The girl simply explained, mouth full.

From a few feet away, Claire was smiling while cleaning glasses; she was glad her sister was living by the words she’d always said to her when she was in elementary school. At the same time, Rachel had been targeted by some kids for being a nerd in second grade, and Claire, in Junior Year, had just learned the perfect way to stop being ridiculed for her smarts and her hair. They’d grown out of being bullied, together, and that had always been their stronger bond ever since.

After eating their snacks, Simon started to help Rachel with homework. Claire did her rounds of serving customers from behind the counter and also at their tables; as she was refilling Mr Baker’s glass, she heard Rachel and Simon giggling behind her. With a curious smile on her face, she approached their table and peered over her sister’s shoulder, wanting to partecipate in whatever it was that was making her let out such a genuine sound: however, her smile dropped the moment she spotted the very clear doodle on her history book.

Claire swatted her sister’s shoulder with her cleaning cloth, careful not to spill water from the pitcher in her right hand. “Rachel, what is that? That’s not nice, stop it!! He actually helped you, you know” she tried to sound serious, although her sister’s mirth was contagious.

The bell above the door rang, announcing a new customer, automatically catching Claire’s attention. The familiar face of Owen Grady appeared from behind the glass door he was just closing behind him, his eyes immediately searching and meeting hers, and, almost on instinct and a little embarrassment, Claire’s brain decided to get rid of evidence by pouring all the water left in her pitcher over Rachel’s doodle, and consequentially over her textbook and all over her table and school supplies, earning a gasp from the girl and a startled sound from Simon as well.

As soon as she realized her action — also helped by every other customer staring — Claire started apologizing multiple times, trying her best to wipe all the wet surfaces with her cloth, her mind still recovering from seeing Owen again.

Simon, that gentle and understanding soul, offered to clean for her, and instead pushed her to serve their new customer, who apparently had never taken his eyes off her the whole time.

“Hi, umm… sorry for what just happened, but, you know, it’s my job, it happens—” Claire started to stutter as soon as she approached Owen.

The officer, still clad in his _annoyingly handsome_ uniform, chuckled, interrupting her stream of words. “It’s okay. I, ah… just wanted to pop by, see how things are doing, you know” He casually said, a hint of nervousness in his voice, hands in his pockets and body swinging on his feet. 

Claire nodded eagerly. “Yes, of course.” She paused, both of them staring at each other’s eyes for a second. “No, yes, we are doing just fine, actually. Rachel’s gone back to school like nothing happened and… yeah, we’re fine.” She added with a small smile, fiddling with her cloth to keep the blush at bay.

“Yeah, I’m glad to see that” Owen nodded in the direction of Rachel and Simon, Claire following his gaze immediately, wanting to make sure her sister didn’t pull off anything rude towards the officer. Simon smiled kindly while replacing paper towels with new ones on the very wet table, while Rachel quickly lowered her gaze, pretending she hadn’t been staring at them this whole time.

Claire warned her sister with a swift gaze and turned back to Owen. “Well, Officer—”

“It’s Owen, really” He corrected her with a smile, and _those dimples_.

Claire smiled back and looked down. “Owen…” She met his eyes again, “What can I get you?” She went back to her cheerful work voice, not without her cheeks reddening a bit more.

“Ah, well, I really only came by to check on you guys but if you insist…” He said with a flirty smile, “Do you still have those donuts?”

Claire’s teeth sank into her lower lip, her smile wide and her blush deepening as she nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear with her right hand. “Of course. Uh, which— which flavor?”

From her seat, Rachel groaned, wiping her wet pens and highlighters a little too forcefully. Simon chuckled. “Come on, ladybug. He came to check on you. He’s not against you” he squeezed her shoulder.

“Yeah, more like, he came to check on me and to check out my sister.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “We really don’t have time for creepy guys” She stated, tossing her blue highlighter into her pencil case.

Simon shook his head at her. “Maybe _you_ don’t” He waited for Rachel to bring her gaze up again, and when she did, he diverted it with his own towards Claire serving Owen at the counter. “But your sister looks like she kinda does.”

Rachel grunted, right before Owen apparently cracked a joke that really made Claire burst into a genuine belly laugh, which had Owen straighten his posture with what looked like pride. “Uh oh…” Simon nudged Rachel again, “Someone _definitely_ has a crush!” He grinned, eliciting another groan from the girl, who just dropped her head on her book.

Before saying goodbye, with a promise of coming back, Owen made sure to ask Claire if she needed any help again.

“Seriously Owen, we’re doing fine.” She took a deep breath. “We are gonna be fine.”

“Seriously Claire” he echoed, “I’d be glad to help, really. Just… again, know you can count on me if you ever need anything, okay? You’re not alone.”

Claire smiled up at him. “Thank you, Owen. And, I know.”

* * *

In just one week, Owen became a regular customer at Simon’s coffee shop. He would sometimes pop by quickly to grab his black coffee before his shift started, and some other times he would stay for longer, even a solid couple of hours, chatting mostly with Claire, when she could, but also with Rachel and Simon, slowly gaining the girl’s trust too.

As he walked into the shop one afternoon, on his second week of being a regular, he immediately noticed Claire struggling with a particularly difficult customer, which made Owen chuckle: she was always so cute when she was trying to be polite but actually burning inside.

He had time, so he sat at Rachel’s table, purposefully nudging her hand as she was highlighting a sentence, making the neon green marker trace a wobbly line all over the surrounding words.

“Come on!!” Rachel protested lightly, swatting his hand away and trying to color his skin with the same highlighter. Years of police training had Owen block her wrist in a second, uttering a “HA!” In her direction, earning a scowl from the girl.

“You are a CHILD” Rachel managed to throw her eraser at him — which he annoyingly caught again — before going back to reading geography.

“Yes, but at least I can play with real guns” he said playfully, “And not just the weapons! Look at what these babies can do” He added, referring to his biceps, before he grabbed Rachel’s chair and started lifting it up with her still on it, earning a squeal from the girl.

“Just stop!!” Claire’s voice silenced the duo, Owen’s head turning quickly to her voice, ready to mockingly surrender, when he realized the plea wasn’t addressed at him.

Before he could make out what was going on, Claire continued. “Please Adam, just grab your coffee and get out!” Her voice was slightly raised, enough to make some heads turn.

“It’s her high school boyfriend” Rachel whispered, “Sometimes he comes in here and tries to get Claire to go out with him, and she always says no, but I think she just had enough today” the girl deduced with a smirk. She looked at Owen, expecting his face to mirror hers, but she only found a deep serious, almost angry, expression.

Owen got up, also seeing that this Adam guy hadn’t left yet, still trying to talk to Claire who tried her best to ignore him.

“Got a problem here?” Owen said as he walked up to them, his chest impossibly puffed out, his stature looking almost a whole inch taller, easily towering over the other guy, uniform on display.

“No, officer—”

“Yes, he won’t leave me alone—”

Adam and Claire replied in unison, stopping to glare at each other when their answers didn’t match.

“Alright pal, I think you should go now. Leave the girl in peace” Owen tried to stay calm, like he would be if the girl was any other girl but Claire. When Adam seemed reluctant to go, he continued, taking some steps towards him, backing him towards the exit. “You got your coffee, enjoy your day. C’mon.” He pushed, hands on his belt.

Adam spared one last glance at Claire, whose eyes were fixed on Owen, before he turned around, understanding the situation, and left.

Owen merely shook his head, before Claire thanked him for his help, Rachel uttering a groan of gratitude as well from her seat.

* * *

Several days later, Owen offered to help Rachel with math until the shop’s closing time. “You seriously still have to study this hard? Isn’t school ending in like, three days?” He groaned.

“Hello?? I have finals?” Rachel rolled her eyes, bringing his focus back on the equations.

“Come on guys, time to leave!” Claire’s voice called from the back, at which Owen sprang up from his seat.

“Heard your sister? Time to close the book!” He accompanied his words with actions and swiftly closed Rachel’s textbook and shoved it in her backpack, earning another eye roll from the girl.

As the trio exited the building, Owen noticed Claire’s car was absent.

“We like to walk on such warm days” Claire explained, “It’s only a fifteen minutes walk on a quiet street, it’s relaxing” She smiled up at him, her sister nodding along.

“Oh well, that’s a good idea.” Owen started, before Rachel interrupted him. “Owen, can you drive us home tonight, though? I think you deserve to know where we live by now, don’t you think?” She glanced up at her sister. “In case anything happens, right?”

Claire opened her mouth to respond, but Owen was faster: “You’re right, kiddo. Well, if your sister agrees, that is.”

Claire nodded. “Uh… yes, sure. Thank you.”

The drive to their apartment complex was quick. Owen walked them up the stairs, to their door. “Okay, check. Got it.” He smiled, after Rachel tapped on the 2B door, claiming it as theirs.

“Do you want to come inside? For dinner?” The twelve-year-old asked with a hopeful expression.

Before Claire could intervene to make up for her sister’s eagerness, Owen had to decline. “Sorry girls, I have a night shift in a few hours. Next time, though, it’d be nice…” He looked to Claire for a confirmation, and she just nodded.

Rachel let out a “YES” before she hugged his middle and bolted inside with a goodnight, in a hurry to watch her favorite game show.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Claire fidgeted with her hands. “Thank you… for everything, really.” She smiled.

Owen smiled back. “It’s no problem, you know it. Actually…” He pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and took Claire’s right arm with his left hand, while he wrote on it. “This is my number. In case you need anything else.”

Claire giggled at his old school way of exchanging numbers. “Noted.” She paused for a second, looking up at him. “Thank you again, Owen. Uhh, goodnight then.”

Owen mirrored her genuine smile, letting go of her arm, making her miss his touch already. “Night, Claire.”


	3. Chapter 3

Claire’s eyes had barely adjusted to the morning light coming in from the window, when she heard the sound of Rachel’s feet padding in the hallway; a telltale sign her sister was awake and ready for their lazy Saturday morning chat, a habit they had picked up right after their parents’ passing, to strengthen their sisterly bond.

A murmured “Good morning” was forced out of Claire’s lips, her right arm covering her eyes and her bright copper hair spread all over the pillow. She extended her left arm to welcome her little sister’s body, closing it around her once she was cuddled close.

Rachel pried Claire’s arm away from her face, allowing the eldest sister to take in the look of excitement on her face. Claire frowned. “What’s got you so giddy this morning?”

Rachel’s grin only widened as she shifted, getting up and sitting back on her calves. “Two things!” She announced, hands on Claire’s ribs, shaking her with every excited bounce. “One, school’s off now and I can spend time at aunt Lucy’s, with Noah and Markus and—”

“Noah has a summer job now, remember?” Claire interrupted her excited talk about their cousins.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Yes, but not every day. And as I was saying, I still have Markus and Sadie and the twins, and maybe Hailey will come to visit sometimes, too!”

Summers were often spent at their great aunt’s, cousins they barely saw throughout the year gathering there as their parents couldn’t watch them all day every day. Aunt Lucy’s was like a big family summer camp, the sixty-four-year-old lady more than happy to have some company and spoil all her grand nephews and nieces; with the exception that now Claire couldn’t participate that often, as she had to provide for her sister and herself.

Claire chuckled, sitting up against the headboard, rubbing her eyes. “Okay, okay. And the second thing?”

Rachel stopped bouncing, a sly smile forming on her lips. “Your blossoming love for Owen, of course!”

Claire, now fully awake, immediately reached out to shove her sister, who swiftly avoided the hit, inching away from the redhead’s grasp with a giggle. “Come ON, have you seen the way you look at him? You’re GONE!”

“That’s not true!” Claire’s eyes got wide, accusatory look on her face. “Shut up.”

“Simon always says it’s so clear you two like each other.” Rachel merely shrugged. “And to be honest, he’s right.”

Claire sighed, looking defeated. “Is it that obvious?”

Rachel nodded eagerly, grin spreading across her face again. “Come on, do something. I mean, having Owen in our life like that would also help us a LOT.”

“I’m not a gold digger, Rachel, or anything like that. I would never think of being with him for THAT in the first place.” Claire pointed a finger at her, feeling slightly offended. “But yeah…” She looked down, sighing. “I think… I think I might really like him.” She admitted, grinning.

“I KNEW IT!” Rachel shrieked, earning an eye roll from her sister.

“But let’s not… let’s not dive too fast into this, okay? I just can’t…” Claire made vague gestures with her hand, “…Throw myself at him!”

It was Rachel’s turn to roll her eyes. “Duh? But don’t be so _Claire_ , Claire. Stop waiting for everything to be perfect and just make a move!”

At that, Claire launched herself forward, giggling, enveloping her little sister in a constricting hug, tickling her. “And when did you become an expert in relationship advice, Miss?” She questioned, earning several squeals from the younger Dearing.

* * *

The Dearing sisters’ Saturday afternoon activity was going out together. This time, they chose to treat themselves to some good shopping at the mall.

“Is it too sad if I get Zara a shirt that says Zara?” Claire wondered as they were checking out clothes at her best friend’s namesake store.

“Sad would be a euphemism. Never make that sort of pun again.” Rachel grimaced.

Claire tossed the shirt back in the discount pile. “Sorry.” She rolled her eyes, before her attention got stolen by a cute little summer dress, a very simple, short sleeved aqua green piece with a V-neck, a narrow waist and a flouncy bottom. Claire made her way slowly to it, gently feeling the fabric with her fingers, almost mesmerized.

Her sister broke the spell. “Are you okay?” Rachel asked, confusion on her face.

Claire glared at her briefly before returning her gaze to the dress. “Why? It’s just so beautiful in its simplicity” She started looking for her size, heart thumping as she found the right one. “I’m getting this.”

Rachel kept staring at her like she had grown a second head. “You? Dresses? Summer clothes whatsoever?”

Claire shrugged. “I like it. Now, if you don’t want to look at anything else in here, I say we go pay and then get ice cream.” She stated, already beelining for the checkout.

“Oh. My. God.” Rachel stood in her spot, before rushing to catch up to her sister. “You’re doing it for Oweeeeeen” She sang, lightly shaking Claire’s shoulder.

“No I’m not.” Claire kept looking ahead, blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.

“Oh, you totally are! Look at you, blushing at the thought of looking pretty for your boyfriendddd!” Rachel started skipping.

“He’s NOT my boyfriend.” Claire snapped her head towards the giggling girl, who couldn’t care less about her empty threatening looks.

“But he’s gonna be” She said nonchalantly.

Those words, especially coming from her twelve-year-old sister, shouldn’t have made Claire so hopeful, but she couldn’t help the small smile that came with it as she carefully placed her dress, along with a some other items, on the counter.

“That’d be forty-two dollars and ninety cents” The cashier announced kindly, accepting Claire’s credit card.

“You’re gonna wear that dress next time you see him? Or on your first date?” Rachel excitedly whispered in Claire’s ear, hardly able to stand still, her sister trying her best to ignore her.

“Um, excuse me Miss, your card got declined.” The lady informed her with a sympathetic smile.

Claire snapped out of her schoolgirl thoughts. “What? That’s impossible. I literally just recharged it, I got paid the other day, I—”

“I’m sorry. It clearly says the amount in it isn’t sufficient. Here, look.” The lady turned her device around for Claire to see for herself.

She started panicking. “No, I literally just—”

“Honey, there’s an ATM on the second floor, if you want I can hold your items here while you get it sorted out, okay? I’m sorry, I can’t help you any further.”

“No. I literally— We just went to the bookstore and I got my usual text from the bank with how much I spent and how much it was left and it was most certainly enough to cover this purchase at least five times!!” Claire protested.

“I’m really sorry, I don’t know how to help—” the cashier repeated, before Rachel timidly interrupted her, turning to Claire.

“Maybe Owen could get us out of this?” She proposed quietly.

Her sister stared at her for a couple of seconds, pondering her options, but her heart was beating too fast and her desperation was starting to surface again, so she merely nodded.

“Sorry, can you— can you still hold my things for a minute? Maybe I can sort this out” Claire asked the kind lady behind the counter with an apologetic smile. The cashier just smiled again and nodded.

Rachel couldn’t contain her smirk from the moment her sister’s trembling digits hesitated over Owen’s contact, to when her last timid “thank you” ended the conversation.

Owen arrived ten minutes later, surprisingly fast, both sisters taken aback by his off-duty looks, jeans and a henley, as he greeted them.

He still had his badge, which he took out and flashed at the cashier with a charming smile, promising no trouble. “Can I speak with the manager?”

Claire kept scolding Rachel for her comments on her feelings for her “prince charming to the rescue” as they waited for the situation to get solved somehow, all while trying not to make a big scene in front of the other customers.

Minutes later, Owen emerged from the back with a big smile on his face, handing Claire her card back. “All sorted out, princess.”

Claire couldn’t contain her happiness and gratitude — and blush at the nickname — and just wrapped her arms around his neck, her thanks muffled by his shirt.

“I couldn’t help paying for it myself, though.” He admitted as they headed out of the store. Claire stopped in her tracks, ready to scold him, when he continued, “Sorry, I REALLY couldn’t help it, especially after seeing that cute dress you bought. You could have told me about it, I would have bought you ten of those.” He flashed her a smirk, winking.

Claire was only able to mutter a thank you, her cheeks impossibly red, as she tried to ignore Rachel’s jaw on the floor behind her.

She decided to pay for Owen’s lunch, insisting when he said it wasn’t necessary. They found a table in a quiet corner of the busy food court, Rachel feeling like a third wheel so much that she insisted she was only hungry for ice cream, taking some money from Claire and getting up at lightning speed, more than willing to leave the two infatuated young adults alone.

Munching on their tacos, Claire and Owen started talking amicably, not a single ounce of awkwardness or tension between them this time.

“For the thousandth time, Claire, I had nothing to do this morning. You haven’t ruined anything. Indeed, I’m more than happy to spend it like this” Owen smiled while chewing on his food. Claire swore he could flash her that damn smile even as he was in the most disgusting of conditions, and she would still feel weak in her knees.

She exhaled. “It’s just— I really don’t want to seem _that_ desperate, you know. I can handle situations myself, I—”

“I know you can, Claire.” Owen interrupted her. “You can move a mountain if you want. But it doesn’t mean you should do it alone. Nobody should ever feel alone, especially in your situation. And you already know I’m always there to help. I really meant it when I said it, okay?” He was looking at her so sincerely, and then he reached across the small table to squeeze her hand, holding it there, to underline the importance of his words.

At that gesture, Claire felt like she might faint. She just squeezed back, her eyes never leaving his.

“And really, you have my number. You can talk to me about anything. Not just for emergencies.” Owen continued. “Nobody deserves to be in your situation, and I can’t let you bear all that weight on your own.”

Claire sighed. “But why, Owen? Why are you doing it all for me, when there are hundreds of… orphans, less fortunate than us, or just any other person who can’t even come to the mall once a month, or afford lunch every day?” She questioned. “Why are you so determined to look after me and Rachel?” She felt bold enough to start stroking his hand with her thumb as she spoke those words.

Owen stayed silent for a second, hazel eyes on her, before he smiled sweetly. “I guess I just really like you.” He shrugged lightly.

Claire couldn’t hold back her own smile and blushing cheeks, before a sheepish Rachel appeared again, not looking particularly eager to interrupt the couple. “Um, Claire” She started, internally flinching at the delicate moment she had walked on, “Aunt Lucy just called me. She asked if we want to go visit her and stay for dinner?”

Claire let go of Owen’s hand, straightening her posture. “Ah, sure. Just… We’re gonna finish our lunch and then we’re going, alright?”

Rachel nodded, smiling shyly at Owen, who just invited her to sit there with them.

* * *

It was an hour car ride to Aunt Lucy’s, both sisters more than willing to take it, since their great aunt was the only motherly figure they had left, always smothering the girls with love and hot, delicious, homemade meals.

“Okay loves, I hope the casserole is not too burnt, but it should be fine.” Aunt Lucy offered with a big smile, as she finally brought her dinner to the table.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Aunt Lucy, you could burn water and it would still taste delicious!” She said before taking a bite. “See? I’m in food heaven right now” She mumbled with her mouth full, earning a lovely touch from the woman on her cheek.

Claire was about to make a similar comment, when her phone buzzed in her lap. She took advantage of her sister, aunt and two of her cousins who were there as well that night, busy eating and talking with their mouths full, to check the notification. She almost squealed when she saw it was a text from Owen.

**Thanks again for today’s lunch. I hope you got to your aunt’s safely :)**

Claire bit her lip and didn’t hesitate to reply, the rest of the world tuned out.  
 ****

**Stop thanking me for that. And yes, we’re here now, dinner with a few other cousins. They won’t stop talking about their dogs.**

His reply came fast.

**Well, I wish I could be talking about dogs. Currently stuck in the most boring of meetings.**

**Oh, so you’re only using me to pass the time?**

**Nah, I’d be texting you anyways. Been wanting to do it for a while ;)**

Claire’s stomach did flips.

**Oh yeah? Why didn’t you?**

He took a bit longer to reply, the tiny dots appearing and disappearing multiple times.

**I guess I’m not used to texting pretty girls anymore, had to gather my confidence…;)**

**Well, you did it now! And did you just say I’m pretty?** Claire didn’t know where all that apparent confidence came from.

**Pff, as if you didn’t know already. Speaking of, I really want to see you in that green dress.**

“Claire?” Aunt Lucy’s voice brought her attention back to the table, while her heart was still racing at that last text. “Would you like some more, hun?”

Claire stuttered for a second, before shaking her head gently, politely declining but assuring her aunt the dinner was delicious. She briefly focused on passing the bowl of salad to Noah, before her attention was pleasantly stolen by her phone buzzing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I have no idea how a policeman could be involved in a credit card situation... But please just let it roll, pretend it's normal😂


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! But I'm not a super talented writer so it takes some time for me to get in the right mood😅

The morning coffee shop noise was muffled to Claire as she kept moving almost robotically behind the counter; her brain was far far away, in her personal little bubble of giddiness she created whenever she thought about Owen Grady. Which lately, was happening a lot.

This new behaviour of hers certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Zara, her best friend, who was patiently waiting for her coffee at the counter, an expression of annoyance mixed with confusion at the sight of an unfocused Claire moving so clumsily. She glanced at the time on her phone, before rolling her eyes and deciding to speak up.

“Claire? What is going on?” She dropped her palms on the counter, the noise _almost_ pulling the redhead out of her thoughts.

“Hm? Your coffee is almost ready!” Claire replied, still moving around.

Zara grimaced at her obvious lovestruck attitude, and came up with the only possible way of pulling her friend back to reality. She cleared her throat. “Owen Grady” She simply stated, a smirk forming on her lips as Claire swiftly turned around, cup of coffee in her hand, eyes wider than those of a deer caught in headlights.

Zara’s knowing smile then quickly became an alarmed look, her mouth barely opening as Claire hastily slammed the beverage on the counter, the force of her action sending the cup forward, and the hot liquid on the floor and on Zara’s clothes.

After a few seconds of silence, from the girls and from the rest of the shop, Claire managed to stutter an apology.

Zara sighed, walking behind the counter to pull Claire towards the ladies’ room. “Claire’s gonna help me clean up! Caesar, take care of the floor please!” She knew Claire’s coworkers like her own by now. She kept dragging Claire by her arm until they reached their destination, the brunette slamming and locking the door behind them. She almost bullied Claire into the wall.

“Now you tell me what is going on with the guy!” She pointed her finger at Claire’s apron-clad chest.

Claire sighed and half-rolled her eyes. “Nothing…much. You know I like him, what’s new” She then moved for the sink in order to actually do her best to clean Zara’s top.

Zara let her start cleaning the fabric, bringing her hands to her hips. “You were NEVER this clumsy, head-in-the-clouds-like. I can tell something has changed. Spill.” At Claire’s fast growing blush and smile, Zara gasped. “Has he kissed you??”

Claire stopped rubbing the cloth on the coffee stain to swat at her friend. “NO! Are you crazy? I would have told you anyways.”

“I don’t know, it could have happened recently, and I doubt the first thing you’d do after pulling away would be texting me.” Zara huffed.

“Okay, okay, here’s the thing.” Claire stopped her task, taking a deep breath. Zara’s eyes and smile immediately grew, ready to take in all the latest details.

“So, you know we’re texting, right” Claire started.

Zara nodded.

“Well, he sent me this, last night. I— I don’t know what to think!!” She suddenly squealed, her tone hopeless and excited at the same time as she pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans.

As soon as she found the text, Zara wasted no time in grabbing the device out of Claire’s hand to see for herself. It was a very short text, which made her frown for a second, before she took it in.

**Goodnight babygirl. See you tomorrow.**

Zara’s jaw dropped. “Babygirl??” She looked back at Claire, who was biting her lip so hard it might split in half. “Wha— I mean— You know you need to get that, and soon. Right??”

Claire playfully rolled her eyes. “Maybe he was just playing along. We were also tired. We had been texting for—”

“No, Claire, you’re basically _his_ already!” Zara interrupted her, no longer needing coffee to wake up. She shook Claire by her shoulders. “Are you stupid?? Next time you see him you plant a smooch on his lips, okay? Trust me?”

Claire was giggling, but happily nodding along. “Got it. Maybe I won’t be so forward but… I was trying to find explanations for that and I just realized that yes, it’s probably what you think it is.” She released a happy sigh.

“Not probably. It _is_ what I think it is.” Zara grinned. “Now, I’m gonna be late for work, but next time I see you I want to see Owen Grady’s girlfriend.” She pointed her finger at Claire before walking to the door.

Claire stilled. “Woah. Don’t you think it’s too—”

Zara turned around, finger still pointed. “Uh-uh! It’s what I said. Bye! And focus on work!” And with that, she left Claire alone with her thoughts once more, before she took a deep breath and went back to work.

* * *

Claire regained some of her focus working, at least until 10AM was approaching; that was when Owen usually showed up on Thursdays. She kept nervously glancing at the door or out of the window, in case she saw his car searching for a parking spot.

“He’s not always on time, keep working, do your job” She kept murmuring as she stirred the cream in Mrs Brown’s macchiato — taking advantage of the fact that the 84-years-old woman for sure couldn’t hear her, since Claire always had to shout to her instead of talking.

This time, though, something was gnawing at her insides, a gut feeling that maybe Owen wasn’t coming at all. He could have been busy, could have had a last minute emergency, but he would always find a way of texting her. God, he’d been so eager to see her this morning after last night’s texting session, Claire was sure he’d let her know if something was up.

After serving two more customers and seeing no one else waiting to order for now, Claire took a deep breath and decided to pull out her phone.

10:18AM. No text notifications from Owen.

She sighed, her heart picking up its pace, as she cast a glance outside again and bit her lip. She contemplated texting him, but — of course, women’s logic — she didn’t want to seem too desperate.

She started compulsorily cleaning the workspace, rubbing the cloth on the front desk and on the working counter, when her phone vibrated repeatedly in her back pocket. Claire quickly excused herself and walked to the back of the shop, after seeing Owen’s name as the caller ID.

One step into the staff-only area and she slid her finger on the screen to answer.

“Um, hi, everything okay?” She breathed out.

“Hi, Claire? It’s Barry. Listen I’m using Owen’s phone cause—”

“What happened?” Claire demanded he cut short. She was panicked, her heart beating out of her chest.

Barry sighed from the other end. “He’s been… shot. But just a graze. The bullet didn’t penetrate the flesh, don’t worry. And we caught the bad guy.”

It did little to calm Claire down. “Where are you?? How is he??” She could feel the tears, both from initial terror and subsequent relief, pooling in her eyes.

“We’re at the hospital now, he’s being treated. But again, I just thought I should let you know but it’s nothing too serious. He’s been groaning that he was fine all the time, but his left arm wouldn’t stop bleeding and— it’s not helping is it?” Barry winced.

“NO IT ISN’T!” Claire finally raised her voice. “I just— I can’t leave work, Barry. Not at least until 3 today.” She sighed. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Of course he is.” Barry’s voice softened “But I’m sure he’d want to see you, he hasn’t stopped talking about you all these days, you know.”

Claire was glad she was on the phone, because despite her alarmed state, her cheeks managed a full blush at the statement.

“So, Owen’s phone’s about to die now, but I think they’re gonna keep him in at least until later today, so take your time. He’s gonna be okay.”

Claire sighed. “Okay. Thank you Barry.”

* * *

Claire was glad Rachel went to Aunt Lucy’s that day, to stay the whole weekend, so she didn’t have to worry about her little sister when it was time to leave work and go see Owen. However, she still thought Rachel deserved to know what had happened, so she sent her a quick text.

**I probably can’t talk tonight because I’m going to check on Owen. He’s been hurt on the job but nothing major, just a bandaged arm. See you soon sis xx**

As Claire parked her car in the hospital’s visitor area, she checked her sister’s reply.

**Omg! Sorry to hear that, I hope he’ll get better soon**

Followed by another bubble:

**But he will, if he has you by his side. Kiss him better!**

Claire just quickly sent her a middle finger emoji before she rushed to the entrance, ready to look for Owen.

Entering his room, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, her gaze softening at the sight of Owen, back propped up on several pillows, legs bent, chin on his chest and brows furrowed in concentration as he was playing _his stupid war game_ on his phone.

When Claire cleared her throat, Owen quickly locked his phone and straightened up, wincing a bit as he put pressure on his left arm.

“Hey” He shot her the warmest smile, which dropped as soon as he registered her own forced expression morphing into tears, unsuccessfully held back.

“Woah, Claire, it’s fine.” He watched her slightly bounce on the spot, itching to just come closer. “Hey, c’mere.” He offered with his arms open, shifting a bit to the left to let her in.

Claire wasted no time and let her dam break, taking quick strides to sit on the edge of Owen’s bed and hug him, minding his damaged limb.

Owen was a little taken aback by this sudden burst of physical contact, but he completely understood, and let himself hug her back, holding her tight despite his injury.

“Hey, it’s okay, I’m okay.” He murmured, his voice muffled by her hair and the sound of her sobs. He couldn’t help taking in her scent as well, and his brain almost went into overdrive.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, just comfortably together, Claire finding relief in his arms and Owen more than happy to surround her and protect her.

Claire pulled away, drying her tears with her fingers, careful not to smudge her mascara too much, and Owen couldn’t help joining in, his own digits careful, as if she was made of glass. He pushed back some strands of her hair, too.

“You alright? I’m fine, see?” He searched her eyes.

Claire nodded and sat back up, putting some distance between them, before she sighed.

“Something else going on?” Owen frowned, his hand taking hers for comfort.

His gaze was so caring and intense on her, when it should have been the other way around, and Claire gave in. “That last text… The… pet name, you used for me, maybe it’s just me but it really did sound intimate… Not that I didn’t like it, but—” She sighed again, interrupting her own blabbered speech and just hoping he’d understand her.

When she looked up, she found Owen a bit confused but still grinning at her. At her puzzled expression, he explained: “Well, I thought we were at a stage where I could start calling you that… You know, amicably…?” He grimaced at Claire’s breath hitching. “I mean— I like you, Claire, okay? A whole damn lot. I don’t want to make this any more awkward, or god forbid, push you away with my idiot manners, so I’ll get to the point.” He took a deep breath, thankful for Claire’s patience and understanding look. “Will you go out with me?” He breathed out, and at her initial silence, he added, “Y’know, sometim—”

He got silenced by Claire’s eager lips on his, her hands holding his face for dear life. He smiled through the kiss and willingly responded, quickly deepening it, his right arm tightening around her back, pulling her into him.

After parting with a few last pecks, they brought their foreheads together. “I’ll take that as a yes?” Owen grinned, slightly out of breath. Claire mirrored his expression, nodding and gulping, before going for his lips again, which he gladly accepted.

A throat clearing pulled them apart after a few seconds. “Officer Grady, you’re good to go now.” A kind nurse looked very sorry to have interrupted the moment. “Here’s your papers.” She handed him the documents and a pen to sign.

After he was done, Owen was more than happy to get up, Claire helping him gather his things. After making sure everything was ready, they stood in front of each other by the door, stupid smiles on their faces.

“Well, Miss Dearing” Owen started, already making her blush. “What are you doing in…” He checked an invisible watch on his wrist, “Two hours?”

Claire giggled, closing the distance and bringing her arms around his neck. “Mmm, I don’t know” She replied, her nose touching his. “I might be busy dealing with the police…”

“God, you’re so bad at jokes” Owen said, but happily chuckled along with her, and leant down to kiss her again.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I know this story was supposed to have two more chapters, but my little brain can't come up with nice stuff, and it would have been all fluff anyways, so I hope you can forgive me and be happy with this for now. If I get any inspiration I will update!  
> Love, Sara xx


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